Plated coins

ABSTRACT

A METHOD OF PLATING COINS TO GIVE THEM A DECORATIVE FINISH. THE COINS ARE FORMED FROM METAL AND HAVE PICTORIAL MATERIAL ON AT LEAST ONE FACE THEREOF. THE METHOD COMPRISES APPLYING A FIRST DECORATIVE METAL COATING TO THE ENTIRE COIN, MASKING THE PICTORIAL MATERIAL AND APPLYING A SECOND DECORATIVE METAL COATING OVER THE COIN. THE MASK IS THEN REMOVED, AND THE COIN IS LEFT WITH A FIRST DECORATIVE METAL ON THE PICTORIAL PORTION AND A SECOND DECORATIVE METAL ON THE REMAINDER OF THE COIN. THE INVENTION ALSO ENCOMPASSES THE COINS PRODUCED BY THE METHOD.

Sept. l0, 1974 J. K.` cHlN PLATED COINS Filed may 11, 1973 United States Patent 3,834,879 PLATED COINS Jimmy K. Chin, 931 Race St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19107 Filed May 11, 1973, Ser. No. 358,621

Int. Cl. A44c 21/00; B32b 15/00 U.S. Cl. 29--191 6 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A method of plating coins to give them a decorative finish. The coins are formed from metal and have pictorial material on at least one face thereof. The method comprises applying a first decorative metal coating to the entire coin, masking the pictorial material and applying a second decorative metal coating over the coin. The mask is then removed, and the coin is left with a first decorative metal on the pictorial portion and a second decorative metal on the remainder of the coin. The invention also encompasses the coins produced by the method.

This invention relates to a method of plating metal, and more particularly, to a method of plating coins and the coins produced by the method.

Until recently, it was illegal to goldplate any nongold coins forming a part of U.S. currency. However, recently, the law was relaxed to permit the application of gold to U .S. coins for ornamental purposes. It was felt that the application of goldplating to U.S. coins would make them more decorative when placed on display, as in complete sets of the coins. With the advent of the change in the law, the instant invention was conceived.

Applicant believed that the coins could be made even more decorative if they were given decorative coatings of two contrasting metals, instead of being plated solely with gold. Accordingly, the invention was initially formulated with the concept of plating two dissimilar metal coatings on U.S. coins in order to obtain a contrasting appearance for the coins when they were displayed. A method to carry out the invention was developed.

It has also been found that the same method could be used in providing decorative appearances for other metallic objects, such as medallions, ingots and paperweights. As used herein, the word coin is generic to all of these other metal pieces that include a pictorial representation forming a part of the metal object. Thus, a coin includes not only currency, but in addition, other metal objects that can be made by a coining operation, such as ingots and medallions.

lIn the preferred embodiment of this invention, the coins are plated in gold and silver. Not only does this add to the attractiveness of the coins, but in addition, it will increase the value of the coins.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a novel plating method.

It is another object of this invention to provide a coin having an ornamental coating of discrete areas of two different metals.

These and other objects of this invention are accomplished by providing a method of plating coins having pictorial material on the surface theerof comprising plating the coin over its entire surface with a rst metal, masking the pictorial material with a masking material, plating the coin with a second metal, and removing the masking material.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the steps of carrying out the method of this invention;

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FIG. 2 is a showing of one face of a silver dollar that is to be plated by the method of this invention;

lFIG. 3 is a showing of the silver dollar of FIG. 2, with a goldplating thereon;

FIG. 4 is a showing of the silver dollar of FIG. 2, with a gold and a silverplating thereon; and

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 5 5 of FIG. 4.

Referring now in greater detail to the various figures of the drawings wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts, a coin adapted to be plated in accordance with the method of this invention is generally shown at 10 in FIG. 2. Coin 10 is a silver dollar, with one side being shown. The side shown includes head 12 of President Eisenhower and the background planar portion 14. The head 12 is slightly raised on the planar portion.

Although only one side of the silver dollar has been shown at 10, it is to be understood that the method of this invention is used for plating both sides of the silver dollar, or any other coin. When a silver dollar is used, the eagle will be plated in one metal and the background in another, as will be explained hereinafter.

As seen in FIG. 1, the first step in carrying out the method is to completely clean the coin to be plated. Any of the cleaning methods known to the art can be used for preparing the coin for plating. Thus, the cleaning method can include steam, electro-cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning, brushing, boiling or dipping in highly alkaline or highly acidic baths. If desired, the coin can be polished during the cleaning operation. It is preferable, after all other cleaning has been completed, to use a steam cleaner on the coin.

After the coin has been cleaned, the entire coin is goldplated. Any of the goldplating solutions and methods known to the art can be used for this step, and the specific method used is not critical to this invention. By way of specific example, the methods and solutions disclosed in US. Pats. Nos. 3,644,180, 3,666,640 and 3,672,969 may be used. The solution temperature can range between 130 F. and 160 F.

The anode is 24 karat gold and the coin is made the cathode in the electroplating bath. At six volts the plating should proceed for fifteen to thirty seconds. This will provide a plating thickness of 0.000010 inch to 0.000030 inch.

After the coin has been plated with gold over its entire surface, it is removed from the electroplating bath and rinsed in warm water. Any remaining solution is removed by steam. The goldplating is shown at 16 in FIG. 3.

The next step in the process is to mask the pictorial material on the coin. In the embodiment shown, a masking coating is placed over the head 12, and on the rear side of the coin, the masking coating is placed over the replica of the eagle. Any of the masking coatings known to the art can be used in carrying out this step, such as lacquer. Alternatively, any of the acrylic resins disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,390,061 can be used for this step. The masking coating is applied by a brush to the head of Presi-dent Eisenhower and to the eagle. Any excess material is easily removed by wiping it off or through the use of a swab dipped in a solvent for the resin, such as methanol, ethanol or acetone.

After the masking coating has dried, the coin is then plated with silver. Here again, any of the silverplating solutions and methods known to the art can be used in carrying out this step of the process. Examples of these solutions and methods can be found in U.S. Pats. Nos. 3,645,858 and 3,679,553. In this step of the process, a silver anode is used and the coin is again made the cathode. The solution temperature can range from 70 F. to F. It should be kept in mind that the coin now being plated will have the masking coating on the pictorial material on the coin.

The electroplating proceeds for twenty to sixty seconds at four volts. This gives a plating thickness which is sub stantially the same as that of the goldplating thickness, namely, 0.000010 inch to 0.000030 inch. After the plating has been completed, the coin is removed from the solution and rinsed in warm water.

The next step in the process is to remove the masking coating. This can be accomplished by using any of the solvents for the masking material, such as methanol, ethanol, acetone or methyl ethyl ketone. Other solvents for lacquer or the acrylic resin are disclosed in aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,679,553.

The solvents loosen and remove most, if not all, of the masking material. Whatever is not removed is sufciently loosened to permit the same to be removed by placing the coin under hot running water and brushing it with a cloth or soft brush.

The masking material prevents the electrodeposition of any of the silver on the pictorial portions of the coin that had been masked. Accordingly, when the masking material is removed, the coin will have two contrasting metals plated on its outer surface. By way of example, as seen in FIG. 4, the head 16 will be plated in gold and the background will be plated in silver, as indicated at 18.

All of the steps used in carrying out the method are indicated in FIG. 1. As an optional iinal step, the coin can be given a protective transparent coating. Any of the transparent, lmforming resins known to the art can be used for the protective coating. Examples are polyester resins or any of the acrylic resins disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,390,061, such as polymethyl methracrylate. The protective coating can be applied by any of the methods known to the art, such as brushing, spraying or dipping the coin in the protective coating material. The protective coating is shown at 20 in PIG. 5.

As pointed out above, a coin, as use-d in this application, refers to any metal object comprising a background with a pictorial portion thereon. This includes monetary coins, medallions and ingots. -All of these various types of metal pieces are readily `adapted for decorative finishes and subsequent display.

The preferred materials used in carrying out this invention are gold and silver. Utilizing the gold and silver, each of the coins of U.S. currency can be plated with the pictorial portion being plated in gold and the background portion being plated in silver. Bright gold and bright silverplating solutions are used in order to give a high sheen to the plated coins. The plated coins can then be placed in transparent packing cases or in velvet-lined display cards for use as decoration and display. They can also be incapsulated in transparent plastic blocks, and used as paperweights.

The goldplating will readily adhere to most metals. However, where adhesion is difficult to obtain, it is preferable to first plate the base coin with copper. This can be accomplished utilizing any of the copperplating solutions and methods known to the art. An example of a copper solution that is utilizable in this method is disclosed plated metals, the coins will be highly polished prior to being plated. Here again, when plated with any of the foregoing metals, the plated coins can then be provided with the protective transparent coating vof a resin.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate my invention, that others may, by applying curl rent or future knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. A metal coin having pictorial material on at least one surface thereof, said pictorial material being plated with a rst metal, and the remainder of the surface of the coin being plated additionally with a second metal, wherein the entire surface of said coin is plated with said rst metal, and said second metal is plated on said first metal in all areas of said surface other than said pictorial material, whereby the outer surface of the coin is provided with two contrasting metals thereon.

2. The coin of Claim 1 wherein one of said metals is gold.

3. The coin of Claim 2 wherein said gold is plated on the pictorial material.

4. The coin of Claim 2 wherein the other of said metals is silver.

5. The coin of Claim 1 and further including atransparent protective coating over the entire outer surface of said coin.

6. The coin of Claim 1 wherein said pictorial material A is present on two surfaces of said coin, said pictorial material on both surfaces being plated with a first metal, and

the remainder of the outer surface of both surfaces being plated with said second metal.

References Cited y STATES PATENTS UNITED 1,431,300 10/1922 Grant 204-18R 1,750,418 3/1930 McFarland 204-18 R 1,821,561 9/1931 McFarland 201e-18 R r 1,857,929 5/1932 McFarland 2o4-18 R 3,582,477 6/1971 Gelb 1204-18 R L. DEWAYNE RUTLEDGE, Primary Examiner E. L. WEISE, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 

